A Simple Rescue
by Tactics Ninja
Summary: RathLyn - A simple one-shot. On the tactician's command, Rath rescues the Blade Lord, and a touching encounter unfolds.


A Simple Rescue By: Tactics Ninja (Waffle Girl)  
  
--- Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights on the game, scenario, music, or program of the game Fire Emblem. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems claim these rights. I am using a few of the characters in this fanfic for non- profit storytelling purposes. ---  
  
"LADY LYNDIS!!"  
  
The panicked shout rang across the battlefield, falling onto the ears of both the nomad trooper and the tactician advising him. Swearing, the tactician whirled her horse--a pretty dun palfrey with mane and tail of jet- -and urged the gelding to a gallop to make the small hill nearby that would let her survey the entire battlefield. Tossing her bangs out of her eyes, she glanced in the direction the sound had come from--only to spot Florina, in a state of anxious terror, surrounded by bandits--and Lyn, nearby, bleeding heavily from no less than three wounds, but still managing to hold off the axe-wielding fighters that accosted her from both sides.  
  
That wouldn't last--the tactician saw a general approaching...with a swordmaster in his wake.  
  
"Dammit!" the girl shouted, glancing back to the trooper. "Rath! Hurry up! Get over there and rescue Lyn, no matter what she says!" The tactician waited as the nomad reached the rise and surveyed the situation for himself, then pointed. "Pull back to that forest!"  
  
Rath said nothing, but in mere milliseconds, the man was away down the hill, his horse galloping madly, guided by nothing more than slight changes in the pressure of Rath's legs against its sides. The trooper himself drew two arrows from his quiver, and as his horse drew nearer to the combatants, he shifted the pattern of pressure, bringing the horse to a near-halt, with its side to the axemen. Rath trusted in his horse to avoid any blows, and lifted his bow, putting his two arrows through the necks of two different bandits before either could blink.  
  
Lyn glanced over and a look of panic entered her eyes, prompting Rath to draw his sword and pivot his horse sharply--just quickly enough to slice a brigand from scalp to navel. He glanced over his shoulder as Lyn finished off the last two bandits--and saw the enemy swordmaster drawing nearer.  
  
The nomad wasted no time, wiping off and sheathing his blade in seconds, then guiding his horse in a leap over the pile of bodies to Lyn's side. He pulled the blade-wielding lady up into the saddle, then shouted--the horse took the verbal command as it had been trained, and bolted, heading straight for the forest the tactician had indicated earlier.  
  
Rath allowed himself a spare breath only once they were within the sheltering branches. He gazed outward, looking for danger, and spotted Florina swooping down to draw the attentions of the assailants. The nomad relaxed marginally and looked down at Lyn.  
  
She seemed to be partially relaxing as he had, but a slightly glazed look was entering her eyes, one Rath had seen all too often. He quickly drew an Elixir bottle from his things, shaking it to see how much was left. He was in luck--just enough was left to heal her wounds. He lifted it to her lips, catching her eyes and letting his gaze do all the talking, prompting her to drink the potion.  
  
She hesitated at first, then opened her mouth slightly. Rath felt an uneasy stirring in his heart, but banished the feelings until the lady had taken all of the elixir. Within seconds of swallowing the draught, the blade-lady's wounds began to knit and heal, until there was no sign at all that she had been injured.  
  
As soon as Lyn looked well enough, Rath pulled back, thinking to let Lyn slide off of the horse, but the lady seemed to have other thoughts, taking advantage of the extra space by sliding back into the saddle and leaning against the trooper's chest. Rath went still, old habits warring with curiosity and a burning sense of happiness somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. He glanced at the lady's face, only to find her eyes drifting shut in exhaustion. Rath guessed that she was merely tired and not thinking clearly.  
  
The strange, burning part of his heart nearly jumped for joy, since his good common sense agreed that there was no way he could drop the lady while she was in this state. The practical part said that there would be no dropping involved if he would take her to the healers and get back onto the battlefield where he belonged. Years of following his practicality won out, and the trooper gently clicked his tongue, sending his horse into a careful walk towards the edge of the forest.  
  
"No...stop, please," Lyn whispered suddenly. Rath immediately halted his steed with the barest touch of his heels on the beast's sides. He glanced at the lady, curious, and waited to see if she would speak again.  
  
She drew even closer to him, tilting her head so that Rath couldn't see her face clearly. It was only then that she spoke.  
  
"Please, Rath, let's not go back out into the fray just yet," she murmured. "Please, let's just stay here a little longer...let me stay here a little longer...?"  
  
"Lyn..." Rath murmured. "Lyn, are you well? I must take you to the healers."  
  
"I feel fine," she said. Her voice had an odd tone to it. She coughed slightly, then glanced up at him, her eyes full of unspoken words. "I just...last time we spoke...I told you I feel safe with you. Surely you sense that our final confrontation is drawing nearer...please do not begrudge me a few moments here with you..."  
  
"Lyn...Lyn..." Rath murmured, reaching out with one arm to pull her closer. He spoke again, voice rough with unshared emotion. "Stay...stay close, there are still bandits around. If something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself.  
  
"Rath..." she murmured. "Thank you, thank you so much."  
  
"It is I who should be thanking you, Lyn," the trooper murmured softly.  
  
She glanced up. "What was that?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Nothing...relax. I will watch out for the both of us," Rath promised. The lady relaxed with a sigh, and the nomad drew his horse back into the shade of a few trees, ready to run if the occasion called, but until then, content to wait and watch over the lady who seemed to trust him so well. 


End file.
